Top 8 Police Officer Scheduling Systems In 2023

Scheduling law enforcement personnel can feel like logistical gymnastics.

Communities expect 24/7 protection, but you have to keep in mind things like Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime requirements, contracts, union agreements, training needs and requirements, staffing shortages, and tight budgets. Let’s not forget how emergency situations can easily shred the best schedule.

You already know the importance of using the right software when it comes to law enforcement. Evidence management, information sharing, incident planning, investigation—nearly everything you do involves some kind of software.

Police officer scheduling systems are no different.

The right scheduling software can turn what used to be a headache into a data-generating, communications-improving asset. You’ll understand your department better. You’ll see what’s happening now, what the trends are, and what your team needs.

The hard part is choosing which software to use. 

There are a lot of options out there. We’ve done the work for you and compiled a list of the top police officer scheduling systems to help you make the best decision for your department and your officers.

Read also: How To Battle Employee Turnover

Benefits of police officer scheduling systems

Before we get started, you should understand the basic benefits of a police officer scheduling system so you know a good one when you see it. A great system provides:

• Efficiency and time savings: Create schedules more efficiently with less manual or redundant tasks. Use automations and templates to help you build schedules quickly.
• Error reduction: Because of that automation and built-in scheduling conflict notifications, you’ll spot an error before you lock it onto the schedule. Avoid bumping into regulatory boundaries, or scheduling too few or too many officers. 
• Tracking capabilities: Easily see data on who is currently working, scheduled, absent, or late, or when or where they clock in for a shift or for break. Track time related to training, sick leave, unexcused absences, or PTO. 
• Improved communication: Officers are constantly communicating with dispatch, the public, and each other. You need to keep schedule-related communication clear and avoid having it get lost among all the other communication happening. 

This is the list that will help you know if the software you’re looking at actually provides a benefit or just adds another layer of frustration disguised under flashy tech.

Key features to consider 

Not all features of a scheduling tool will lead to the kind of benefits we just listed. 

Some police officer scheduling systems have lots of bells and whistles, but they don’t necessarily provide real benefits that fit what you need. You shouldn’t pay for what you won’t use, and it’s the core features, like what When I Work offers, that are designed to save time and energy:

• Ease of onboarding and general usage: The user interface, from data display to user input, has to be intuitive and make sense to your officers. Onboarding should be quick, with no elaborate training required. Software that isn’t user-friendly doesn’t get used. 
• Configurable availability: Police officers should be able to indicate time off or sick leave requests without having to go through time-wasting levels of management. Where applicable, swapping shifts among team members should be an option.
• Scheduling: Everyone should be able to see the schedule at a glance. For the admin, it’s about spotting gaps or preventing over-scheduling. For the team, it’s about planning their life and making it easy for them to request to fill gaps.
  • Related read: 8 Simple Tips to Help You Schedule Employees
• Centralized space for secure communications: Communication about the schedule should happen where police officers are looking at their schedule. It should be secure, and allow you to communicate with the whole team, with groups, and with individuals.
• Simplify the payroll process: Your labor costs should improve with payroll integration because of accurate integration with the time clock. You’ll reduce errors by removing manual data entry, and avoid the frustration that comes from requiring officers to use forms and emails to submit their overtime hours.
• Customization: Your needs are unique, and you should be able to create templates and schedules that are configured for your team, your union requirements, and other best practices you’ve established.
• Officer qualifications: Some shifts require specific qualifications, so you need to be able to configure templates to be sure that you have the required staff (e.g. senior or junior officers) on duty. Team member qualifications should be stored in their profiles to make sure they are qualified for the shifts they request or get assigned. 
• Price: Look for flexible pricing to fit your specific budget, team size, and needed features, with the room to grow into a price that will still work down the road.

Police officer scheduling system comparison table

Software	Key features	Platforms	Pricing
When I Work	Time clock and time tracking Employee scheduling Team messaging and group or individual communication Supported payroll integrations and online timesheets	macOS Windows Android iOS Web browsers	14-day free trial Standard – $2.50/user Advanced – $6.00/user Optional add ons available
PlanIt Police	Employee scheduling Messaging and communication Overtime and timesheet management Related LE data management (e.g. court schedules)	Windows Android iOS Web browsers	25 users ~ $1350/year Additional pricing available upon request
VCS POSS Police Scheduling Software	Time tracking Employee scheduling Compliance management Overtime and PTO management	Windows Android iOS Web browsers	Demo and pricing available upon request
Snap Schedule	Employee scheduling Team communication Compliance management Overtime and PTO management	Windows Android (for Snap Schedule 365) iOS (for Snap Schedule 365) Web browsers	30-day free trial Snap Schedule 365: Annual subscription varies, starts at $450/year Snap Schedule: $450 for one computer Snap Schedule Premium: $995 for one computer
10-8 Systems: Police Scheduling	Time tracking Payroll integration On-call features Team communication	Web browsers (Chrome and Safari preferred)	Based on number of users. Contact for details.
eSchedule	Time tracking and scheduling Training record tracking Connects to personal calendar software Team communication	Web browsers	15-day free trial Based on number of employees Over 100 employees, contact for pricing
Vector Solutions	Employee scheduling Data insights and reports Time tracking for payroll In-app team communication	Web browsers iOS Android	Free trial Contact to receive a price quote
inTime	Employee scheduling Overtime and leave management Reports and data dashboards Employee database and communication	Web browsers iOS Android	Free trial Contact to find out more

1. When I Work 

When I Work lets you build a complete schedule in just a few minutes, and lets you share and track it instantly. 

Scheduling, time tracking, and team communication is made simpler and faster, which reduces labor costs and employee turnover. It’s built for mobile, making it easy for police officers to stay connected, see their hours and overtime, and be aware of their schedule whether on or off duty, wherever they are. Communication happens within the app, with real-time notifications to let your team know of schedule changes. On top of that, flexible pricing adjusts with your team growth.

Key features:

• Time clock and time tracking  
• Employee scheduling 
• Team messaging and group or individual communication 
• Supported payroll integrations and online timesheets 

Supported platforms:

• macOS
• Windows
• Android
• iOS
• Web browsers

Pricing:

• 14-day free trial
• Standard – $2.50/user
• Advanced – $6.00/user
• Optional add-ons available

2. PlanIt Police

PlanIt Police is a scheduling software that was built specifically for law enforcement and includes extra features that go beyond police officer scheduling. It allows you to track officer training, HR information, and checklists necessary when officers are on duty.

Key features:

• Employee scheduling
• Messaging and communication
• Overtime and timesheet management
• Related LE data management (e.g. court schedules)

Supported platforms:

• Windows
• Android
• iOS
• Web browsers

Pricing:

• 25 users ~ $1350/year
• Additional pricing available upon request

3. VCS POSS Police Scheduling Software

POSS takes a workforce management approach to scheduling, built on a framework used with related organizations and industries including corrections, fire, and EMS. While it can be used on its own, it is intended to work best as part of a full municipal scheduling management package to stitch emergency and first responder services together. 

Key features:

• Time tracking
• Employee scheduling
• Compliance management
• Overtime and PTO management

Supported platforms:

• Windows
• Android
• iOS
• Web browsers

Pricing:

• Demo and pricing available upon request

4. Snap Schedule

Snap Schedule is an employee scheduling and management system that comes as either software to install on your computer, or to access as software in the cloud. The latter allows employees to see their schedules on mobile devices. Officers and scheduling staff have “self-service” access for clocking in and out and requesting shifts, while managers can define work locations (e.g. patrol routes) for each officer.

Key features:

• Employee scheduling
• Team communication
• Compliance management
• Overtime and PTO management

Supported platforms:

• Windows
• Android (for Snap Schedule 365)
• iOS (for Snap Schedule 365)
• Web browsers

Pricing:

• 30-day free trial
• Snap Schedule 365: Annual subscription varies, starts at $450/year
• Snap Schedule: $450 for one computer
• Snap Schedule Premium: $995 for one computer

5. 10-8 Systems: Police Scheduling

Built to pair with additional computer aided dispatch software, 10-8 police scheduling software will also work with other emergency response technology. Officers can pull it up on laptops while on patrol, can chat with others on and off shift, and can see their schedules from any internet-connected device.

Key features:

• Time tracking
• Payroll integration
• On-call features
• Team communication

Supported platforms:

• Web browsers (Chrome and Safari preferred)

Pricing:

• Based on the number of users. Contact for details.

6. eSchedule

eSchedule makes it simple to create schedules for police officers. Like other similar scheduling apps, it offers updates on schedule changes in real time.

Key features:

• Time tracking and scheduling
• Training record tracking
• Connects to personal calendar software
• Team communication

Supported platforms:

• Web browsers

Pricing:

• 15-day free trial
• Based on number of employees
• Over 100 employees, contact for pricing

7. Vector Solutions

Like many scheduling software options, Vector Solutions lets you manage your schedule through mobile devices. It also allows you to define limits to stay in compliance with union and regulatory requirements. It even offers things like fatigue trackers to help prevent employee burnout by identifying officers who have been working a lot. Employee hiring callbacks and custom rules help you connect and assign the right people to the right shifts.

Key features:

• Employee scheduling
• Data insights and reports
• Time tracking for payroll
• In-app team communication

Supported platforms:

• Web browsers
• iOS
• Android

Pricing:

• Free trial
• Contact to receive a price quote

8. inTime

inTime is a first responder and police scheduling system that has a base option for everything you’d need to build a schedule. You can also plug in additional modules to the base software, including training management, asset and equipment management, court and subpoena scheduling and management, shift bidding, and a time clock. The option to integrate with computer aided dispatch and other web services is available as well.

Key features:

• Employee scheduling
• Overtime and leave management
• Reports and data dashboards
• Employee database and communication

Supported platforms:

• Web browsers
• iOS
• Android

Pricing:

• Free trial
• Contact to find out more

Conclusion

Choosing the right employee schedule software for your police department is an important decision. You’ll need to balance the needs of management with the needs of your officers and support staff. Using the guidelines in this article can help you be sure everyone benefits from your selection. The right solution will make your scheduling easier and increase engagement from your team. 

Ready to give employee scheduling a try? Start with a 14-day free trial of When I Work today!